Portugal’s parliament has approved a bill introduced by the far-right Chega party seeking to prohibit face veils worn for “gender or religious motives” in most public spaces, directly targeting burqas and niqabs used by Muslim women.
The bill was passed on Friday. It proposes fines between €200 and €4,000 ($234-$4,670) for wearing face veils in public. Anyone found forcing another person to wear one could face up to 3 years in prison. Exceptions would apply in aeroplanes, places of worship, and diplomatic missions.
Local media reported that the legislation will now move to the parliamentary committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms, and Guarantees for further scrutiny. If enacted, Portugal would join several European nations- including France, Belgium, Austria, and the Netherlands- that have already implemented full or partial bans.
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa retains the authority to veto the measure or refer it to the Constitutional Court for a constitutionality review.
The proposal drew heated exchanges during Friday’s parliamentary session, with Chega leader Andre Ventura clashing with female lawmakers from left-wing parties who denounced the initiative. The bill ultimately passed with backing from the centre-right coalition.
Ventura declared during the session, “We are today protecting female members of parliament, your daughters, our daughters, from having to use burqas in this country one day.”
Later, he posted on X: “Today is a historic day for our democracy and for the safeguarding of our values, our identity and women’s rights.”
Before the vote, Andreia Neto of the ruling Social Democratic Party said: “This is a debate on equality between men and women. No woman should be forced to veil her face.”
Two of the 10 parliamentary parties- People-Animals-Nature and Together for the People-abstained, arguing that the proposal promotes discrimination.
Only a small minority of Muslim women in Europe cover their faces, and in Portugal such veils are very rare. But full-face coverings such as niqabs and burqas have become a polarising issue across Europe, with some arguing that they symbolise gender discrimination or can represent a security threat and should be outlawed.
